1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a suspension structure for a vehicle provided with wheels on the left and right sides of a vehicle body, such as an all-terrain vehicle (ATV).
2. Description of the Background Art
In the related art, in the suspension of an ATV, there is a known structure in which left and right rear wheels are respectively supported by suspension arms by way of knuckles, and dampers are interposed between the suspension arms and a rear portion of a vehicle body frame. Such a suspension structure is disclosed, for example, in JP-A-2001-328410. A rear terminal gear case is arranged in the rear portion of the vehicle body frame, and the left and right rear wheels are driven by way of power transmission shafts extending from the rear terminal gear case to both the left and right, respectively. An upper end portion of the damper is supported by the vehicle body frame, and a lower end portion of the damper is connected to the inside of the suspension arms in the longitudinal direction.
In the related art shown above, since the lower end portion of the damper is located inside the suspension arms in the longitudinal direction, the layout of the lower end portion is apt to be limited, due to the relation between the knuckle and the power transmission shaft. Therefore, in order to ensure a shock absorber stroke required for traveling, it is considered that the upper end supporting position (position supported by the vehicle body) of the damper is moved further upward (inside the vehicle body frame).
However, when the upper end supporting position of the damper is moved upward, the possibilities for the layout of a passenger's seat or vehicle body components such as a fuel tank, a carrier, an air cleaner case and a muffler may be restrained and hence, improvement in this point is desired.
Therefore, the invention provides a suspension structure in which a large shock absorber stroke of a suspension device can be ensured without moving the vehicle body supporting position of the damper to the inside of the vehicle body frame.